


134. Tattoo

by alley_oops, jennandanica



Series: Citadel: Sam Worthington and Ryan Kwanten [134]
Category: Actor RPF, Australian Actor RPF, Citadel (Journalfen RPG), True Blood RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-03
Updated: 2008-11-03
Packaged: 2018-01-15 22:53:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1322248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alley_oops/pseuds/alley_oops, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennandanica/pseuds/jennandanica





	134. Tattoo

_**Sam Worthington takes his boy Ryan Kwanten for his first tattoo**_  
[takes place a few days after [Ryan reveals the design](http://www.journalfen.net/users/sam_worthington/16668.html) to Sam]  
[ **warning** for tattooing]

Ryan slides his keycard and pushes open the door to their Citadel room, ducking his head inside and smiling when he sees his lover. "Hey," he says, crossing to give Sam a kiss. "All finished." His cheeks are just a little pinker than usual.

"Yeah?" Sam grins. "How was it?"

"Um. Uncomfortable?" Ryan sets Sam's book aside, then lies down on the couch and puts his head in his lover's lap. "I got it all done," he whispers, like it's a guilty secret. And now he's totally blushing, damn. But getting his groin, balls, and ass fully waxed... It's a new experience for him.

"Yeah?" Fuck. Sam can't help but shift a little at the thought. "Let me see."

Of _course_ Sam would be curious. Ryan winces a little but obediently unzips his jeans, wriggling and pushing them down his thighs.

"Wow," Sam murmurs, sliding a hand down over the bare skin around Ryan's cock. "I don't know. I think I might get used to this..." he teases. Mostly.

Ryan inhales sharply, surprised at how sensitive he is, at how much sensation is increased. He stares down at Sam's hand, then looks up at his lover, watching Sam's face uncertainly.

"I'm just joking," Sam says, realizing that really, he is. "Maybe your ass since you're gonna have the tattoo now," he clarifies, sliding his hand lower, between Ryan's thighs. "But not the rest of it. Even though it looks amazing right now."

"Okay," Ryan whispers, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. He's happy to keep his crack bare from now on - what's the point of getting the tattoo, otherwise? - and he'd keep his balls bare if Sam wanted him to. But he really doesn't like having the rest hairless. Right now, though, he spreads his thighs, giving Sam better access.

Sam rubs a finger over Ryan's hole, pushing just the tip inside him.

Ryan whimpers softly, automatically arching and trying to take Sam deeper. "I think," he gasps, "I think Dan might be waiting for us." He's supposed to be, anyway; the plan was that Dan would set up in the adjoining room while Ryan was out.

"Yeah, he might," Sam allows, fucking his finger into Ryan's hole a few times before pulling it out. "So I should probably behave myself," he says with a grin, getting up from under Ryan.

Rolling his eyes with a groan, Ryan pushes himself up. _God_ , his timing. He tugs his jeans back up to his waist and shoots Sam a single _look_. Then he knocks on the door to the next room, pushing it open a moment later. "Hey," he says, giving Dan a smile. "All ready for us?"

Dan nods from his stool beside the padded table he's had set up in the middle of the room. "Come in. I just have to wash up," he says, popping the last bite of his breakfast sandwich into his mouth and wiping a few crumbs from his beard. There's a trolley with all his instruments set up beside the bench, in front of the stool, and there's a thermal stencil of their design on top. "You can get undressed."

It's easy now, undressing for Dan, and Ryan is again so damn grateful that Sam offered to bring the man east for this. Ryan can whimper, he can cry, he can come -- and he knows Dan is so professional that he won't even blink. Ryan folds up his clothing and sets it aside in a neat pile, then goes to look at their design again. Yeah, that's the one. When Sam saw it on paper, he shoved his arm into Ryan up to the shoulder. What will he do when he sees the actual tattoo in Ryan's flesh?

"That's gonna look brilliant," Sam says, kissing Ryan's shoulder as he takes another look himself.

"How's the P.A. and the nipple rings?" Dan asks, coming back into the room, still drying his hands with a towel.

"Great, really good," Ryan tells him with a smile. _Really_ good, damn. "The P.A. took longer to initially heal than I'd thought it would, but once we got past that first week..." Now he just grins, slipping his arm around Sam's waist. Yep. Really good.

Dan slips on a pair of gloves and says, "Are you okay if I take a look?" Glancing from Ryan to Sam.

Sam nods. "I'm good if Ryan's good." Although he's glad Dan asks, that he knows the etiquette.

"Oh. Yeah, of course," Ryan agrees. He looks around then sits back on the padded table, spreading his thighs so that Dan can easily access his cock.

Dan picks Ryan's cock up between two fingers and takes a good look, pushing the foreskin back and peering closely at where the ring enters and exits. "The holes have both stretched a little," he says. "I think we could move you to a six if you'd like. I've got one with me."

"Um." Ryan wasn't planning on that, isn't prepared for it. "Are... are they just going to keep on stretching?" He's got a nasty vision of his cock burdened beneath the weight of two extra gaping holes.

"No, no," Dan says with a soft chuckle. "Unless we put something in to encourage them to stretch, like moving down a gauge, they won't stretch any more than they have. And if we move to the six, you'll see a little stretching like you've got here," he points it out. "And then again if we move you to a four or a two, but I wouldn't recommend going any further than a four unless it's something you really want."

"Oh," Ryan says again. He stares down at his cock, chewing on his bottom lip in indecision. Then he looks up at Sam, searching his lover's eyes for his opinion.

"I think we should do it," Sam says, grinning at Ryan. "I like the idea of larger."

Well, that settles it. Any crazy thing that turns Sam on... "Okay," Ryan agrees softly, giving his lover a smile. Remembering himself, he nods at Dan. "A six, please."

"It'll pinch a little," Dan warns him as he switches out the eight and swaps it for the six he already had waiting on the tray. "But that should ease up," he pauses, threading the ring through the hole in Ryan's cock, "quickly."

Ryan hisses, his body stiffening for a moment. He's reaching to grab Sam's hand but Dan's already done, sitting back and turning to his cart full of supplies.

"Okay, on to the tattoo," Dan says cheerfully. "Sam, you can grab a chair and talk to him. As I mentioned on the phone, this is going to take a few hours. We'll take breaks but I prefer to keep going in good half-hour stints unless you or I really need a break," he tells Ryan.

Swallowing hard, Ryan nods. He stretches out on the table on his front, pressing his face to the padded vinyl. Quelling a shiver, he reaches back with both hands and spreads his cheeks.

Sam pulls up a chair as he's told, sitting by Ryan's head and giving him a smile. "Love you," he mouths.

Dan inspects the inside of Ryan's cheeks. "I know you were just waxed, but I'm still going to shave you in case they missed any little hairs. Okay?"

"Okay." _Fuck_. Ryan scans Sam's face, and smiles a little. God, he feels so fucking vulnerable. It's comforting to have his lover sitting here with him.

Dan makes quick work of the shaving, using a warm cloth, shaving gel and a nice sharp razor, and then pats Ryan's cheeks dry with a clean towel. "Normally I'd use stick deodorant to get the thermal paper to transfer but since you've just been waxed and shaved, I'm going to use some plain soap and water."

"Okay." Hell, at this point Ryan's worried he's so damn nervous that his ass might sweat. "What... what should I do? Are my hands in the way or something?"

"Your hands are fine and just relax," Dan says, wetting the inside of Ryan's cheeks with a mild soap and water solution. "I'll let you know if there's anything you need to do differently." He gives Sam a smile and then takes the thermal paper and places it between Ryan's cheeks, pressing it smoothly over the skin.

Waiting, working to stay relaxed, Ryan counts silently in his head. Finally, he can't wait anymore. "How does it look?" he asks Sam. "How big is it?"

Dan and Sam both laugh.

"Hold on," Dan says, shaking his head, but secretly he's amused. He's grown to really like these two, the way they interact together and the care Sam takes with Ryan. "I have to peel it off." He slowly removes the paper and nods, more than pleased with the way the design's transferred. "Take a look," he tells Sam and picks up a hand mirror, angling it for Ryan to see too.

Fuck. "It looks brilliant," Sam says, completely enthused and more than a little aroused already.

Craning his head over his shoulder, Ryan just barely manages to glimpse his ass in the mirror. And his eyes widen. "Wow," he breathes. "It's, um. Big." His mouth quirks in a crooked grin. "It looks really cool."

"It's not that big," Sam protests. "It's perfect." And there's no way in hell anyone's going to miss it. So yeah, maybe a little big.

Dan grins again. "I'm going to put some ointment on you," he says, spreading some on his fingers. "This'll keep the transfer on longer and let the needles slide along more easily."

"Mm-hmm." Ryan nods slightly against the table. His arms are already getting sore from holding himself open, but he knows that's also partly just because his muscles are so tense in general right now. "I've never gotten a tattoo before," he says. Unnecessarily, given that they've both seen all of him.

"Well, my best piece of advice for you is to relax," Dan says, gently applying the ointment over the whole design. "Don't hold your breath. More people pass out from panicking than pain. And it's going to hurt like hell at first but then it'll ease some as you get used to it." He glances over at Sam. "What about you? Any tats?"

Sam shakes his head. "Nope. I'm not real fond of needles," he grins.

"Liar," Ryan mutters, grinning. "He loves needles," he explains to Dan, his eyes on Sam. "Just when they're stuck in me."

Dan laughs. "Typical dominant," he jokes.

"Hey, I resent that," Sam protests, laughing too.

"Okay," Dan says, picking up his needle and starting the machine. "We're going to outline first. Here we go. You ready, Ryan?"

"Yep." Not really, actually, but Ryan figures he probably can't get more ready than this -- particularly because Dan would likely refuse to work on him if he were drunk. He raises an eyebrow at Sam. "Last chance," he teases, thinking of how this ink will still be embedded in him when he's eighty. "You ready?"

"Hugely ready," Sam assures him with another grin.

And with that, Dan touches needle to skin, slowly tracing the outline of the design, starting with the outside.

The bite of the needle is surprising at first, but Dan was right that Ryan quickly gets accustomed to it. And it's not long before he's starting to feel like maybe he understands why people say tattoos are addictive: he shuts his eyes and lets the ongoing stop and start of the drill lull him into relaxation.

It's hot as hell to watch, Ryan with his hands tight on his cheeks, opening his ass up for Dan to tattoo, with Sam's marks. "Have you done a lot of these before?" he asks Dan.

"Maybe a dozen or so over the whole time I've been working," Dan says. "Believe it or not, I get a lot more cock requests."

"A friend of mine worked in a tattoo parlor through college," Ryan murmurs. "He told me a story about how a guy kept coming in and asking them to make his cock green, but no one would ever do it. Finally the owner gave in. But no one ever got why he wanted it, you know?" Ryan grins. "Until one day he came in, and he was wearing an Incredible Hulk t-shirt."

Dan chuckles, lifting the needle for a moment. "I had someone have me tattoo a pair of shorts over their whole groin and backside. The only area we left was his actual hole. Anyone who's willing to tattoo you there should be shot."

"Hmm." Yeah, Ryan's still pretty nervous when he thinks about that bit, yet to come. "So tell Sam how nice he's going to have to be to my ass, and for how long."

"Two weeks if it's healing properly," Dan says as he works, slowly but steadily, "and if you can't wait, wear a condom and be gentle. No spankings or beatings for the same time, maybe a little longer. A month to be on the safe side."

"What about Ryan? Care from his end?" Sam says, biting back a laugh, the double meaning hitting him almost instantly.

"Wash, wash and wash again. Very thin layer of ointment. Check it out closely daily and have Sam get you to a doctor if it looks even the slightest bit infected."

Ryan watches Sam, narrowing his eyes for a moment at the amusement he sees sparkling in his lover's eyes. "Will it bleed much?" he asks Dan. "Scab over, or anything?"

"It might bleed once we get into the shading, especially on the thinner skin," Dan says, "but it shouldn't be too bad. You'll need to keep the tattoo moist but not too moist. You want there to be a thin membrane over it as the skin heals and then it'll peel off, sort of like a sunburn, but don't pick at it. It'll come off on its own when it's ready."

"Is there a care sheet for this?" Sam asks, not sure he'll be able to remember everything Dan's telling them.

Dan nods. "On the trolley, under the top tray," he says. "I have care sheets for everything I do."

"Okay." Ryan nods, grateful that they won't have to remember a damn thing -- he's really just talking to talk, to keep himself from worrying too much. "How much of the outline is done?"

"I'm almost done the outer part and then we'll do the inner before shading. Do you want to take a break?" Dan asks.

"Umm, no," Ryan decides. He gives his lover a crooked grin. "I can wait until you're done with the inner bit, too." And he'll feel better knowing that they've got a definite piece of the process completed.

"Good. I think that's a good place to stop," Dan says, continuing his work.

Sam goes back to sit by Ryan's head. "How's it feel? Is it really that painful?" It doesn't seem to be.

"No, it's not bad, it-- _fuck_." Ryan's eyes fly wide open and he grinds his teeth into his bottom lip so that all that comes out is a slow pained hiss. Dan is outlining his hole now, and that is crazy pain right there, right in that spot, the skin thin and ultra-sensitive. His fingernails dig into his ass cheeks.

Sam grins but he's careful not to laugh. "I'll make it up to you later," he promises.

"How?" Ryan grates out through his teeth. _Fuck fuck fuck!_

Sam slides a little closer, glancing up at Dan, waiting until he's paused to get more ink, before he says, "I'll let you fist me."

Fuck, Ryan wasn't really serious, he just wanted Sam to distract him... He stares up at his lover, stunned. He's distracted now, all right. "Really?"

"Might have to work up to it, but yeah, if you're interested," Sam says, all casual-like.

If he's interested. Yeah, right. "How's the outline coming?" Ryan asks Dan. Because he needs to get up, like right now. And jump Sam.

"Almost there," Dan says, trying to keep his grin from taking over his entire face. That, right there, is hot as hell. He loves it when dominants don't give a shit who knows they get fucked by their boys or pegged by their girls or are the ones wanting the pain. "There you go." He sits back. "Outline all done."

"Thank you," Ryan whispers, and gives Dan a minute before he pushes up. He slips off the table to his feet, wincing a little. Then he fists his hand in Sam's shirt and yanks him in close, kissing the hell out of him.

Fuck. Ryan tastes so fucking good and Sam could care less Dan's right there. He kisses him right back, hard and hungry and aching for his ass... which he won't be able to have for at least a week. Christ. "Like that idea, do you?" He grins.

"You know fucking well I like it," Ryan mutters, biting at Sam's bottom lip. He hasn't fisted someone in... god, he can't even remember how long. And _Sam_ , fuck. He tangles his fingers in Sam's hair, grinding against him, the rub of denim harsh on his bare flesh.

"Just think how fucking tight I'll be," Sam murmurs, continuing the tease and grinding back even harder.

"You think about it," Ryan whispers, his erection spike-hard now. He rubs shamelessly against the ridge of Sam's cock through his jeans, breathing a soft moan. "Think about how I'll fill you up, how I'll fucking own your ass."

Fuck. Sam groans and bites at Ryan's mouth, so fucking hard he could cut glass.

Dan coughs discreetly. "Gentlemen? Ryan -- I suggest you get a drink of water before I start the shading. You might start feeling sick if you get dehydrated."

 _Oops_. Ryan had... kind of forgotten that they weren't alone. He nods and steps aside to swig from a water bottle. _Fuck_ , his hard-on is probably visible from a mile away right now, and his face is flaming... Yep. This is why they hired Dan.

"This is going to take a lot of work," Dan says. "So I'm going to offer you a break every quarter and you can decide whether you want it or go for a bit longer. Like the outline, it's going to hurt less when I'm towards the outer cheeks and a lot more towards the inner."

"Okay," Ryan agrees softly, relaxing onto the table once more. He reaches back and spreads his cheeks again, a bit calmer now than he was when they first began. At least now, the pain is a known entity.

Dan picks up the needle and starts in again, talking to Sam about his work here in New York. "What about you, Ryan? I understand you're a songwriter?"

"Yeah." _Technically_. "Haven't sold anything in a while." Hell, Ryan hasn't written anything in a while. "Sam brings in all the money. Lucky for me." The least he can do in return is get tattooed, right?

Sam frowns a little. They really should talk about that. Christ. And maybe that's what Ryan's been worried about. Losing himself in Sam. Being 'only' his boy. He drags a hand back through his hair and rubs his fingers over his lips. There's nothing he can do about it right now, right here though, but Ryan's going to have to fucking talk.

Dan smiles. "My partner brings in most of the money too," he says. "I get paid well working for Citadel but I can turn down jobs whenever I want to, take off with him whenever I want. It's good."

"Yeah. Sam and I are going to go to Africa next year," Ryan says, digging his nails into his cheeks a bit tighter, to make sure he doesn't slip. "We were in South America a couple months ago, it was really awesome."

"Oh, I'd love to go to South America," Dan says. "Where did you go?"

"Machu Picchu," Ryan answers, and grins up at Sam. "We climbed it. And we stayed in this amazing place in the jungle that only had three walls, and we saw all the macaws, and caimans, and peccaries... You should go."

Sam grins back, putting any worries he has aside for now. This is neither the time nor the place.

"Peru," Dan says, working carefully but fairly quickly. "God, I'd love to go there. Did you go to Lima too? Was it worth it?"

"Totally worth it. It was gorgeous, and unlike any place I'd ever been," Ryan says, sinking into the table. His ass is on fire, but in a good way. And he's so fucking excited now, thinking about the design taking shape.

"Okay, I'm a quarter way through," Dan says, sitting back for a second. "Do you want to take another break?"

"Yeah," Ryan replies, but before he lets go he looks up at his lover. "How does it look so far?"

"Really really good," Sam says, taking a closer look. "It's beautiful work," he tells Dan, then grins, "but of course, you've got a gorgeous canvas to work on."

"Yeah, yeah," Ryan mutters, blushing slightly as he gets up. "You're just trying to figure out how you're going to get lucky later," he teases, smiling at Sam. Pity that he himself is already thinking of a whole fistful of ways Sam can still get lucky.

Dan laughs. "I'm going to take a walk down the hall," he says. "It helps my focus to take a break from the actual room."

Sam nods. "No problem. We'll see you in a few minutes." Grinning at Ryan.

Ryan watches in surprise as Dan leaves; then he looks at his lover in calculation. "How long do you think he'll be out walking?" he asks, sliding his hands over Sam's chest.

Sam chuckles. "Long enough, I would bet," he says, pulling Ryan in against him. "What did you have in mind?"

Grinning, Ryan unbuckles Sam's belt. Then he drops to his knees, dragging Sam's jeans down with him. He mouths at his lover's balls, slowly sucking on them.

"Oh, fuck," Sam blurts out, shoving his hands in Ryan's hair, downright stunned at his lover. "You shouldn't be doing this." Not when he's having a fucking tattoo put on his ass.

"Why not?" Ryan asks, genuinely perplexed. It's not like he's going to smear the ink. He slides his hands up Sam's thighs and licks over the head of his lover's cock, tasting him.

"Because, fuck," like Sam can think with Ryan doing that to him. "It just doesn't seem right," he finishes, but to hell with it, he's already got his hands in Ryan's hair and he's tugging. "Take it in, boy."

With a soft moan, Ryan does. He cups Sam's ass cheeks in his hands, kneading the firm flesh as he swallows him, bobbing his head. Opening up until he feels Sam's cock strike the back of his throat.

"Oh, fuck, yeah," Sam groans, shoving in again and again, matching his rhythm with Ryan's and tugging at his hair.

Ryan whimpers softly, his fingernails digging into his lover's skin. He was horny before but now, _god_. He moans, looking up at Sam. Begging with his eyes to be used, filled.

Mindful of Dan coming back any moment, Sam thrusts in harder, almost brutally, eyes locked on Ryan's, a dozen snaps of his hips managed before he's coming, thick and hot, down his lover's throat.

 _Yes!_ Ryan swallows as much as he's able, then wipes the rest from the corners of his mouth. And then it's all he can do to kneel there for long moments, hazed over.

"Good boy," Sam praises, stroking Ryan's hair. "I am so proud of you, for so many things, and when you finish here, I'll let you come."

Ryan nods vaguely and lays his cheek on Sam's thigh, rubbing his cheek against warm flesh. He'll get up, get back on the table. In a minute.

Dan knocks softly on the door and then enters, his gaze widening slightly at the sight in front of him. It's not that he didn't think they were going to take the opportunity of him being out of the room but, despite his professionalism, he's still a man and a gay man at that and these two... "I can come back," he offers.

"No, it's okay," Sam responds, motioning him in, conscious that he still has his jeans around his knees and his cock out. "We'll be ready to go again in a minute."

"Oh. Yeah." Ryan nods again, and this time he manages to push to his feet. "Sorry." He lies down on the table once more, wincing just a little as he tries to find a position for his hard-on that isn't continuous torture. "Ready when you are."

"Don't be," Dan says with a smile. "Did you get any more water into you?" he asks.

"No, he didn't," Sam says, very carefully biting back a grin at the thought of what Ryan did get in him. "Here," he tells his lover, handing him the bottle. "Drink up."

Ryan's head spins as he wonders if the two of them think they're actually funny. But he obediently takes the bottle and sips from the straw; okay, so he is thirsty, it's true. He glances up at Sam to find his lover's eyes sparkling in that wicked way he adores, and grins back.

Sam takes a seat again and kisses Ryan softly on the mouth. "I love you so much," he whispers, just because.

"I know," Ryan whispers back. He sets the bottle down and reaches out to touch Sam's face, stroking a fingertip lightly over his cheekbone. Then he smiles, and reaches back to spread his cheeks again.

With that, Dan makes a mental note to call Rick after he finishes here. "Going for another quarter," he says, starting back in again, really impressed with how the design is starting to take shape. It looks gorgeous against Ryan's skin and the sight of it when it heals will really be something that knocks people's socks off. Assuming... "Can I ask you something?" he says to Sam.

"Yeah, of course," Sam says, looking up from his lover's beautiful face.

"Will you be showing him off? In public, I mean?"

"Damn right he will be," Ryan whispers, grinning against the vinyl. He knows the question wasn't addressed to him, but he's a little punchy.

Sam laughs. "He's right. I definitely will be." He grins at Dan. "We have big plans for his debut..."

"Yeah." Ryan's relieved that Sam isn't annoyed with him for speaking out of turn that way. "Gonna make use of the tattoo and the P.A. and the nipple rings all at once, I think," he says, lighting up at the obvious pleasure on Sam's face. "I've got to practice my crawling."

"Since when?" Sam teases. He tells Dan, "Ryan's the most naturally graceful person I've ever known."

Grinning, Ryan shuts his eyes. He's getting tired, with the combination of the pain and the suspense and going down on - for, really - Sam. "So much flattery today," he muses. "Makes me wonder what you're after."

"Only your soul," Sam teases, leaning in and kissing the side of Ryan's throat. "Want me to hold you open for a while?" he asks.

"Yeah, that'd be nice actually," Ryan answers, thinking his soul is one thing Sam definitely already possesses.

The next hour and a half goes fairly quickly, the three of them talking about travel and Citadel, and Sam and Ryan finding out a bit more about Dan's partner, Rick, who it turns out is some huge high-powered corporate lawyer. They've been together for twenty-five years and eight years ago they traveled to Canada and got married in Toronto. They have one kid, through a surrogate, a son, who's seventeen and headed off to college next year.

"Isn't corporate law pretty conservative?" Sam asks. "What do you do about meeting his clients?"

Dan smiles. "Rick tells them up front before he takes them on and he's that good most of them could care less."

"Do you put on a suit and look respectable and everything?" Ryan smiles. "That's really awesome. You sound like the poster models for gay life." God, he can only dream about a life like that. Can only wonder what he and Sam will be like, twenty-five years from now.

Dan nods and laughs. "I even trim my beard," he says. "Tie my hair back properly."

Sam bites at his bottom lip, listening to them talk. He knows that's what Ryan wants. The marriage, the kids, the being out in public. And god knows, there's lots of actors out in Hollywood these days. But none of them are leading men. None in his position. "Are you okay for a moment?" he asks Ryan. "I'm gonna just step out for a second. Take a walk down the hall."

"Yeah, okay." Ryan shifts and replaces Sam's hands with his own. He watches his lover walk away, listens for the door to close behind him. Then he sighs. "How do you do it?" he asks Dan, long accustomed by now to the bite of the needle. "Achieve a normal life, with marriage and a family?"

"Well, it's easier for us," Dan says after a moment. "We're not in the public eye. No one's going to end Rick's career or force him to take work he doesn't want because we're together. But it wasn't always that way. In the early days, I had to hide. I'm five years younger than him and he started out in a really conservative firm when I was still bumming around, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and there was no way anyone could know about us. He even had to pretend to date a few women from the secretarial pool." He sits back for a moment. "He had to work really hard to get to a place where he could go out on his own and hang his own shingle and tell clients they could like it or lump it."

"Yeah. I'm..." Ryan trails off, swallowing an unexpected flash of pain. He hasn't talked about this with anyone, hasn't been able to. "Sam's not going to be able to come out," he whispers. "Not ever." He rolls his eyes. "I mean, even putting aside the fact that I'm gay and he's not; he's bi. So if he came out and then we split up and then he wanted to publicly be with some woman... That would be a whole other mess for him to deal with, you know? But it's a moot point anyway, I guess. Since he can't come out in the first place."

"I don't know about that," Dan says, continuing on with the inking. "Things have changed so much, even in the last ten years. At that point there was pretty much no one out in Hollywood, except for a few women. And now, lately, it seems like everyone's coming out, and I know he's not in the same kind of position, but I think things'll get there. No one really gives a shit who the actor on the screen is fucking in real life and at some point, the studios'll get it. Besides which," he says with a smile, "it's not like either of you has a biological clock ticking. There's still plenty of time. _And_ ," he adds, a softer confession, "Rick says I have this ability to tell who'll stay together and I can't see the two of you splitting up. Not with the way he looks at you."

Ryan smiles crookedly, and hugs those words to his heart like they're a prediction of a guaranteed future. "I certainly wouldn't make it _easy_ for him to do," he jokes. "Dominants only _think_ they're the territorial ones. Subs are way more possessive than their doms could ever be."

Dan laughs. "I have to agree with you there," he says, nodding. "Okay. We've got maybe five more minutes. Are you still good or do you want to take a break?"

"I'm good, but... Yeah, I guess I should go check on Sam." He carefully eases up to his knees, then turns to sit and meet Dan's eyes. "Thanks, by the way," he says softly, his face pinking up. "I don't have anyone I can talk to about this. I feel like I should be ordering drinks at your pub or something." He grins shyly.

"It's not a problem at all," Dan says, giving Ryan a smile. "In fact, you have my email and number. You don't just have to use it to send me designs. If you feel comfortable, you're welcome to drop me a line, let me know how things are going. I know what it's like not to have anyone to confide in from my early years with Rick."

"Really?" Ryan is surprised by the offer, and touched. "Thank you." His smile widens and he slips off the table to go find Sam. It's a nice feature of doing this right here in the Citadel hotel -- he can walk out into the hallway buck naked without the slightest concern.

"Hey," Ryan calls softly, spying his lover making his way back down the hall. "All finished with your deep thoughts for today?"

"Yeah." Sam nods. "Is it done?" he asks, concerned that he'd missed being there for Ryan when it was finished.

"Not quite." Ryan stretches out his arms and links his fingers with Sam's. "Want to come join me for the very last bit? Dan's going to fill in the ink around my hole." He winces. "I'll probably scream."

"Wouldn't want to miss that," Sam teases and leans in, kissing Ryan softly on the mouth.

"Yeah, you might even get jealous," Ryan chuckles, licking out at Sam's bottom lip.

He leads the way back into their room and gives Dan a grin. Then he lies down again, the position completely familiar by now. "All right. Are we going to do this?"

"Yes, we are," Dan says, getting ready to go. He waits until Sam's settled at Ryan's head again, his hand on Ryan's upper shoulder, then starts in.

Ryan winces at the first bite of the needle. Now they're getting down to it, filling in the outline on his most sensitive skin. He works to not clench his muscles, but his hole is defensively trying to clamp down. Slowly, he breathes through his mouth.

"You okay?" Sam asks, threading his fingers through Ryan's hair.

"Yeah," Ryan whispers. He shuts his eyes and tries to imagine that it's Sam hurting him somehow, torturing the skin around his hole... God, for that, he'd crawl across broken glass. His breathing eases and he lets himself begin to drift, lets the pain mellow into a low buzz.

"Good boy," Sam murmurs as he feels Ryan relax under his hand. "It's gonna look incredible."

"Actually," Dan says, glancing along Ryan's back at Sam, "and please free to say no, but I was wondering if you'd let me take a picture, no faces, of it when it's finished and again when it's healed? For my portfolio." The request is directed to Sam as it should be, but he knows he'll ask Ryan.

The question filters through and Ryan snickers. "Who the hell's going to want to look at my ass?" He's picturing some innocent young thing, just looking for a simple Chinese character or a flowery tramp stamp...

"I can think of lots of people," Sam teases, nodding at Dan. "But it's up to Ryan."

"Other Citadel members," Dan says, chuckling briefly. "I certainly wouldn't be showing it to your average person on the street, but it's a beautiful piece of work and it shows what _can_ be done."

 _A beautiful piece of work._ Ryan really likes the sound of that. "Yeah, okay," he says softly, still grinning at the idea. "Good thing we didn't go with that 'Property of Sam Worthington' idea after all."

Dan laughs and sits back, lifting his needle from Ryan's skin. "There you go," he says. "All done. Do you want me to show you in the mirror?"

"You're all done? Really?" Ryan cranes his neck over his shoulder to catch a glimpse, but of course he can't see a darn thing. "Mirror, please?" he asks, but the first and most important reflection is right there in Sam's eyes.

"It's fucking brilliant," Sam says, going around the table and taking a good long look. "Really really beautiful."

"I think so too," Dan says, holding up the hand mirror so Ryan can see. "What do you think?"

Reaching back, Ryan angles the mirror so he has the best view. "Wow," he breathes, stunned... by the size of it, the permanence. "I like it."

"Good," Dan says, nodding, "because if you think it hurt going on, that's _nothing_ compared to trying to take it off." He grins and hops off his stool. "I'll grab my camera and then you can sit up."

"It's fantastic," Sam tells Ryan, eyes sparkling. "It really is. It's even better than I thought it would be."

"Yeah?" Fuck. When Sam grins like that, it just makes Ryan all gooey inside. He should really try and get over that one of these days... well, maybe not. "Good." He pushes up to his elbows and lifts his chin for a kiss.

And Sam obliges, kissing Ryan full and hard on the mouth, nipping at his lower lip before he pulls away again. "Picture first."

"I'm here," Dan says, with his SLR. He removes the lens cap and holds the camera up to his face. "Just spread your cheeks again."

Lying down once more, Ryan spreads himself, feeling a strange shiver. "Want to get one of me on my hands and knees, or would that be too much of an eyeful?"

Dan glances at Sam and gets a nod from him. "That would be great, Ryan."

"Okay." Ryan's never really done this before. Although he's not sure if this would really qualify as posing for erotic photography or not, it's more kind of a clinical thing... Whichever, he shivers again as he pushes up to his knees, angling his feet out off the edges of the table to provide the best spread of his hole.

"Can you send me those?" Sam asks, growing hard again in his jeans.

"Certainly will," Dan says, taking a few more shots from different angles. "And the next time I see you guys, I'll take a few more. Okay, Ryan, you can get down. What's next?" he asks Sam.

"Maybe a branding at some point," Sam says, "but I don't think we'll be rushing into that and Ryan wants to do it as an actual ceremony."

"Yeah. Not until he's really ready to commit to me," Ryan teases, sliding his hand to rest at the small of Sam's back. He's well aware that Sam is completely committed to their relationship, and he gives his lover a kiss before turning away to fetch his clothes.

"He's counting on the fact his ass is off-limits for the next two weeks," Sam teases back, grinning at them both.

"That's right, you'll have to beat me somewhere else..." Ryan muses, pulling his shirt over his head. His ass definitely twinges with every step, and he can't wait to get back to the flat and take his damn jeans off again. Denim against freshly-tattooed flesh is not nice. "Thank you, Dan," he says, and goes to shake the man's hand -- then thinks about where his own hands have been for the past few hours and hesitates.

"It's okay, I have to wash up anyway," Dan says, shaking Ryan's hand and then Sam's. "Drop me an email and let me know how it's healing in a week or so."

"We will," Sam assures him, nudging Ryan towards the adjoining room, the care sheet folded and placed in his back pocket. "Thanks again."

Ryan throws the man a grin, then opens the door for Sam. "Love you," he whispers, slipping into their room. "But I think you know that already."

"I do," Sam grins, "but I never tire of hearing it," he says, pressing Ryan up against the back of the door and kissing him thoroughly.  



End file.
